Updated 3:40 p.m.
A third Massachusetts resident has died of the mosquito-borne illness Eastern Equine Encephalitis, or EEE.
The person lived in Hampden County, state Department of Public Health spokeswoman Ann Scales confirmed.
That case of EEE was first announced in August, affecting a man more than 60 years old who was exposed to the virus in northern Franklin County.
A Freetown man and a Fairhaven woman have also died within the last month after contracting EEE. The state has announced 10 confirmed human cases of the disease in Massachusetts.
Health officials have declared 35 cities and towns in the state at critical risk for EEE and another 40 at high risk, marking the most widespread outbreak yet of the disease in Massachusetts.
In Connecticut, one person diagnosed with EEE died last week, and a second died this week. The first person, an adult from East Lyme, was hospitalized with encephalitis in late August. The second person is an adult from Old Lyme.
The director of the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station said the entire eastern half of the state is under a moderately high risk for EEE.
Residents in at-risk cities and towns are being advised to take precautions, including wearing mosquito repellent and rescheduling outdoor events planned between dusk and dawn.
NEPR’s Sam Hudzik contributed to this report, which includes reporting from WBUR’s Laney Ruckstuhl and WNPR.
